Safety refrigerator door stop



Feb. 9, 1960 s. e. SUHAN SAFETY REFRIGERATOR DOOR STOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1957 III!!! INVENTOR.

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ATTQZNEYS Feb. 9, 1960 5. cs. SUHAN 2,924,185

SAFETY REFRIGERATOR DOOR STOP Filed Sept- 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY S INVENTOR. STEPHEN G. $0 HAN BY United States PatentO The present invention relates to refrigerators generally and in particular to a safety stop for a refrigerator door. I

An object of the present invention is-to provide a safety stop for a refrigerator door which prevents closing of the refrigerator door upon entrance into the in terior of the refrigerator of a person.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety stop for a refrigerator door which, after entrance into and subsequent departure therefrom of a person into the interior of a refrigerator, keeps the door in open position and necessitates a manually actuated reset operation to restore the door to closable condition, thus giving notice that a person has previously entered the refrigerator. I

A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety stop for a refrigerator door which is simple in structure, one which is positive in operation, and one which is economically feasible.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a refrigerator. with the door open and showing the safety door stop accord ing to the present invention installed therein;

Figure 2 is a view partially in section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, and on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing the safety door stop of the present invention in retracted position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the safety door stop in extended position, the door being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 5 is a'sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a partial view similar to Figure 6, showing the safety door stop in its held position.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the safety door stop according to the present invention is for use in a refrigerator having an open front and a door swingable between opening and closing positions with respect to the open front, such a refrigerator being shown in Figure 1 and designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and the door indicated by the numeral 12.

The refrigerator 10 includes a bottom :14, spaced side walls 16 and 18 rising from the bottom 14, a rear wall 20 connecting the adjacent ends of the side walls 16 and 18 together, and a top 22 extending over the upper ends of the side walls 16 and 18 and upper end of the rear wall 20. The bottom 14 of the refrigerator 10 is provided with a well 24 adjacent the rear wall 20.

The safety door stop according to the present invention comprises a platform 26 horizontally disposed and positioned in superimposed spaced relation with respect to the bottom 14 and extending over the well 24 in the bottom 14.

The upper surface of the bottom 14 is provided with an elongated angle member 28 extending along the front edge of the bottom 14 inwardly of and adjacent the open front of the refrigerator 10. The member 28 has one leg horizontal and secured to the bottom 14 and has the other leg vertical and forming a flange for attachment thereto of one leaf of a hinge 30, the other leaf of the hinge 30 being secured to the forward face of an elongated box formation 32 extending along and formed integrally with the forward edge of the platform 26, as shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 4.

The hinge 30 provides the means by which the platform 26 is connected to the bottom 14 for tilting movement from the horizontal position (Fig. 3), to a position sloping downwardly away from the open front of the refrigerator, as shown in Figures 4 and 7.

The horizontally disposed actuating member or bar 34 is arranged in the space between the bottom 14 and the platform 26 and has one end adjacent the rear wall 20 and has the other end inwardly of and contiguous to the open front of the refrigerator 10. A pair of tunnel members 36 are arranged in spaced relation and overlie portions of the bar 34 and connect the bar 34 to the bottom 14 for movement from the position in 'which the other end is contiguous to the open front of the refrigerator to a position in which the other end of the bar 34 is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from the open front of the refrigerator and engageable with the door 12 to prevent closing of the latter. The two aforesaid positions are shown in Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

The other end of the bar 34 contiguous to the open front of. the refrigerator 10 carries a bumper 38 which is engageable with the inner surface of the refrigerator door 12 and prevents closing of the door 12 when the other end of the bar 34 is in the exterior position.

Yieldable spring means is provided operatively connected to the bar 34 for urging the bar 34 to the position in which the other end is inwardly of and contiguous to the open front of the refrigerator 10. This means consists in a pair of coil springs 40 each having one end secured to the bar 34 inwardly of the one end of the latter which is adjacent the rear wall 20 and having the other end secured to the adjacent portion of an upright hollow standard 42 which is positioned wholly within the well 24 and has its lower end provided with a flange 44 secured to the bottom of the well 24.

Other means is provided connecting the platform 26 to the bar 34 so that movement of the bar 34 from the position in which the other end is inwardly of and contiguous to the open front of the refrigerator 10 to the position in which said bar end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly of the open front of the refrigerator 10 and engageable with the door 12 to prevent closing of the same is responsive to application of the weight of a person to the platform 26. Specifically, this means consists in a vertically disposed support element 46 having a cam 48 on one side thereof, the support element 46 being reciprocably mounted in the standard 42 and having a sloping end face of the cam 48 engaging and supported upon the end of the bar 34 remote from the refrigerator open front. The upper end of the support element 46 abuts against the underface of the platform 26 andis in supporting relation with respect thereto. The cam 48 projects out of a vertically disposed slot provided on one side of the standard 42 and is operable to e fect the shifting of the bar 34 from its retracted position (Fig. 3) to its extended position in which the bumper 38 engages the inner surface of the door 12, as shown in Figure 4. Transversely arranged pins 50 project from taken.

each side of the standard 42 and are received in slots 52 provided in the sides of the support element 46, as shown in Figure 6, and serve to keep the support element 46 in the position in which the cam 48 is in enlgagement with the roller 56 provided on the end of the ar 34. 'Manually releasable means is provided carried by the bottom 14 and engageable with the one end of the actuand the support element 46 manually lifted to its upward position in which the roller 54 again engages the end of the cam 4-8 adjacent the standard 42 which position is best shown in Figures 3 and 6.

In use, the refrigerator when equipped with the safety door stop according to the present invention effectively prevents tragic deaths of young children when at play and when one or more of the children are tempted to enter the compartment of a refrigerator. The tension of the springs 40 is such that the platform 26 normally will support without tilting a weight of articles of food normally stored Within the refrigerator but will yield under the weight of a child to permit the cam 48 to effect the movement of the bar 34 to the position in which the bumper 38 prevents closing of the door 12. Once the platform 26 has been moved to its downwardly sloping position and the end of the bar 34 engages the vertical end face 56 of the cam 48, the platform 26 will remain in the downwardly sloping position until swung outwardly of the open front of the refrigerator to expose the t a r 4 of the latter, spring means operatively connected to said member urging said member to a position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous, to said open front, means including a cam responsive to the application of the weight of a person on said platform and engaging said member to move said member to a position in which said other, end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to the position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent closing of the latter, and releasable means engageable with said one end of said member when said member has been moved to the position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent the closing of the latter for holding the member in the lastmentioned position.

2. 'lhe combination with a refrigerator having an open front and including a bottom, a rear wall, and an openable and closable door for closing the open front, of a safety door stop comprising a horizontally disposed platform positioned in superimposed spaced'relation with resupport element 46 and enable a user to reset the support r refrigerator that an individual has previously entered the refrigerator so that suitable preventive measures may be The swinging movement of the platform 26 from the position in which it rests upon the upper 'end of the support element 46 to a position out of the open front of the refrigerator enables the user of the refrigerator to clean the bottom 14 and the interior of the well 24 and to maintain the sliding upward and d-ownwardmovement of the support element 46 and the horizontal reciprocal movement of the bar 34 in workable condition.

While only a single embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, other embodiments are contemplated and numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a refrigerator having an open front and including a bottom, a rearwall, and an open-able and closable door for closing the open front, of a safety door stop comprising a horizontally disposed platform position in superimposed spaced relation with respect to said bottom and connected to said bottom for tilting movement from the horizontal position to a position sloping downwardly away from said open front, a horizontally disposed actuating member arranged in the space between said bottom and said platform and having one end adjacent said rear wall and having the other end inwardly of and contiguous to said open front, said member being connected to said bottom intermediate the ends for movement from the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to a position in which saidother end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent the closing spect to said bottom and connected to said bottom for tilting movement from the horizontal position to a position sloping downwardly away from said open front, a horizontally disposed-actuating member arranged in the space between said bottom and said platform and having one end adjacent said rear wall and having the other end inwardly of and contiguous to said open front, said member bein-g connected to said bottom'intermediate the ends for movement from the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to a position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent the closing of the latter, spring means operatively connected to said member urging said member to the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front, means embodying a hollow standard carried by said bottom, a' vertically disposed support element reciprocably mounted in said standard and having the upper end abutting against and in supporting relation with respect to the under face of said platform, and a cam projecting from the side of said support element and-having a sloping end face engaging said one end of said member so that the movement of said member from the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to the positioniin which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front anden-gageable with said door toiprevent closing of the latter is responsive to the application of the weight of a person to said platform, and releasable means embodying' a vertical end face on said cam and engageable with said one end of said member when said member has been moved to the position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent closing of the latter for holding said member in the last-mentioned position. 7 r l 3. The combination, with a refrigerator having an open front and including a bottom, a rear wall, and an openable and closable door for closing the open front,

of a safety door stopcomprising a horizontally disposed platform positioned insuperimposed spaced relation with respect to said bottom and connected to said bottom for, tilting movement from the horizontal position to a position sloping downwardly away from said open front, a horizontally disposed actuating member arranged inthe space between said bottom and said platform and having one end adjacent said rear wall and having the other end inwardly of. and contiguous to said open front, said member being" connected to said bottom intermediate its ends for movement froni'the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to apositionin which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent closing of the latter, a coil spring operatively connected to said member urging said member to the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front, means embodying a hollow standard carried by said bottom, a vertically disposed support element reciprocably mounted and having the upper end abutting against and in supporting relation with respect to the under face of said platform, and a cam projecting from the side of said support element and having a sloping end face engaging said one end of said member so that the movement of said member from the position in which said other end is inwardly of and contiguous to said open front to the position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent closing of the latter is responsive to application of the weight of a person to said platform, and releasable means embodying a vertical end face on said cam and engageable with said one end of said member 20 when said member has been moved to the position in which said other end is exteriorly of and spaced outwardly from said open front and engageable with said door to prevent closing of the latter for holding said member in the last-mentioned position, said connection of said platform to said bottom being a hinged connection located adjacent the end of the platform contiguous to said open front.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,287,173 Andersson Dec. 10, 1918 1,496,499 Thompson June 3, 1924 1,611,386 Stanley Dec. 21, 1926 2,242,647 Has1am May 20, 1941 2,634,970 Rosebrook Apr. 14, 1953 2,783,722 Fletcher Mar. 5, 1957 2,811,119 Ferdon Oct. 29, 1957 2,811,936 Foley Nov. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 186,996 Switzerland Oct. 15, 1936 

